In Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County district attorney is refiling charges against a police officer in connection with a violent arrest he made during the WPIAL high school football championships at Heinz Field.
Sgt. Stephen Matakovich was working an off-duty secondary employment detail when he arrested Gabriel Despres, 19, on charges of criminal trespass, public drunkenness, aggravated assault and underage drinking. The Nov. 28 arrest was recorded on security video and turned over to police by Heinz Field management.
The raw surveillance camera footage shows Matakovich shoving Despres to the ground and then repeatedly striking him.
Simple assault and official oppression charges were levied against the officer, but those were later tossed out by a district judge. According to news reports, Pittsburgh police officers who packed the courtroom applauded after the charges were dismissed.
However, the DA’s office reviewed the case and decided there was sufficient evidence to substantiate criminal charges. The case is also being reviewed by the FBI.
Other top videos this week include neighbors feuding over a Ten Commandments sign placed in a yard, a dog is negligently abandoned by its owner and crooks vandalize a professor’s surveillance cameras but not before being recorded.
Following are this week’s top videos. Be sure to tune in next week for more!
1. DA to Re-Charge Pittsburgh Officer In Arrest Of Drunk Man
2. Neighbors Feud Over Ten Commandments Sign On Property
3. Crooks Caught on Camera Targeting University Professor’s Home
4. Men Crush Camera, Steal Landscaping Equipment
5. Shelter Camera Catches Owner Abandoning Dog Later Hit, Killed
6. Surveillance Cameras Capture Canal Street Shooting in New Orleans
7. Crockett Co. (Tenn.) High School Security Video Captures Tornado
8. Intruder Seen Walking Casually Around the Home
9. Missouri City Family Finds Burglar Lurking On Security Camera
